Posts Tagged ‘TradeRoots’

Cora Dickson is a Senior International Trade Specialist at the International Trade Administration(ITA) in the Office of Energy and Environmental Industries. She is also the coordinator for the Export Green: Brazil project under the Market Development Cooperator Program.

In partnership with the Brazil-U.S. Business Council and Trade Roots, two entities within the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ITA already provides technical assistance for activities under Export Green. Today, Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services Nicole Lamb-Hale raised the profile of their Certified Trade Missioneven further by announcing her participation in key events of the mission to highlight U.S. companies’ ability and desire to fulfill Brazil’s green technologies needs.

Approximately 15-20 green tech companies will participate in the trade mission, which is focused on green building solutions and will coincide with the “Brazil Green Build Conference and Expo” in São Paulo. Participating companies will also benefit from ITA’s matchmaking services by having a day of meetings in São Paulo with potential business prospects. In Rio de Janeiro, the delegation will take part in a conference organized by Export Green and also take a tour of the Porto Maravilha, a district revitalization project with a focus on LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

As part of outreach for the mission, last month Assistant Secretary Lamb-Hale and I travelled to Denver for Export Green’s forum, Opportunities for Colorado Green Companies in Brazil. In her keynote speech, she expressed ITA’s enthusiasm: “We stand ready to help U.S. companies that want to export clean technologies, and we are ready to leverage our bilateral ties with Brazil. We have full confidence that the Brazil-U.S. Business Council and Trade Roots can open doors on this trade mission.”

When it hosts the upcoming World Cup (2014) and Olympics (2016), Brazil is hoping to showcase green infrastructure and architecture. Even small U.S. companies with innovative technologies can take advantage of subcontracting opportunities. Best prospects in the Brazilian green building sector include energy efficient lighting, smart systems for energy automation and management, water treatment, onsite renewable energy, and the use of recycled materials in design and construction.

To demonstrate the market potential for green technology products in Brazil, we recently hosted a webinar to talk about opportunities and strategies. My colleagues from ITA’s Brazil country desk and the Commercial Service in São Paulo gave their perspectives, in addition to my own sectoral analysis, and we had presentations from the Brazil-U.S. Business Council as well, including an overview of the trade mission itself. You can download the webinar presentations here. You can also watch a recorded version, found here – for access, use the conference number PW7277144 and the passcode 3706981. But this replay is only available until June 18, so be sure to check it out soon. The deadline for applications is June 29. For more information, see the Export Green website.

Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez (center) presents MDCP award at the Americas Competitiveness Forum in Atlanta on November 14.

Like all MDCPs, this will result in a close working partnership between the cooperator, in this case the National Chamber Foundation, and the International Trade Administration (ITA). On average, for every dollar that ITA invests in MDCP awards generates $125 in exports; awards are granted only to non-profit groups. As an industry expert on the staff of the Office and Energy and Environmental Industries, my role will be to coordinate ITA and U.S. government resources and to liaise with the cooperator.

Yesterday during an intimate meet-and-greet for U.S. ACF attendees, Under Secretary Sánchez and Assistant Secretary Camuñez congratulated the Chamber Foundation and pledged ITA support for the exciting array of activities being planned – including trade missions, business forums, webinars, and Brazilian buying missions to green tech trade shows in the United States. Steven Bipes, Executive Director, Brazil-U.S. Business Council, and Kathleen McInerney, Manager, Trade Roots were both on hand to receive the award and talk about the goals of the partnership. It all starts with a survey of U.S. green tech companies. The results of the survey will provide a foundation on which to build the MDCP, and also help the cooperator keep companies apprised of upcoming events and opportunities. If you are a green tech small or medium-sized company interested in entering or expanding your overseas activities especially in Brazil, please take the survey.

Non-profit organizations interested in hearing more about how they can apply to become an MDCP partner can attend “Partnering to Double Exports” on December 1.